

WASHINGTON, DC (January 30, 2025)—The Association of Governing Boards of Universities and Colleges (AGB) proudly announces the selection of five higher education governing boards as recipients of the 2025 John W. Nason Award for Board Leadership.
When the University of West Florida’s Board of Trustees convenes soon, it will be the first time in at least five years in which all 13 seats are filled. This board, however, will have fewer local faces and more far-right leaning trustees with conservative views. Gov. Ron DeSantis last week announced the appointments of five new UWF trustees – Paul Bailey, Gates Garcia, Adam Kissel, Scott Yenor and Chris Young. As governor, DeSantis appoints six trustees to the board.
The next leader of UT’s flagship campus will likely have other challenges to focus on as Republican politicians train their sights on remaking higher education with bills that could target faculty groups and further restrict diversity efforts on public campuses.
Outgoing University of Texas President Jay Hartzell wants his successor to focus on the “North Star.”“My hope for the next person in that chair is that they continue to think about how to move that great institution forward,” he said. The next leader of UT’s flagship campus will likely have other challenges to focus on as Republican politicians train their sights on remaking higher education with bills that could target faculty groups and further restrict diversity efforts on public campuses.
As the incoming Trump administration develops plans to seize control of American universities from the “Marxist maniacs” who allegedly rule them, it’s worth taking a closer look at their systems of governance.
News about former AGB Board Chair, L. Thomas Melly.
The next step in selecting the Community College of Rhode Island’s (CCRI) new president has been announced. The Council on Postsecondary Education announced on Tuesday who’s on the committee in charge of picking CCRI’s next leader. This process comes after Dr. Megan Hughes, who was president of CCRI since 2016, stepped down in August 2023. These are the members of the committee:Smith and Ortiz are co-chairs of the search committee.
(Subscription Required) At colleges across New England, no-confidence votes are piling up. Three times in as many years, professors at Lesley University came together to cast ballots over whether their president was fit to continue in her post. Then, just since May, similar moves to grab university presidents’ attention — or remove them entirely — occurred at Emerson and Brandeis.
Outgoing Alachua County Sheriff Emery Gainey is the newest member of the Florida A&M University (FAMU) Board of Trustees, courtesy of an appointment by Gov. Ron Desantis. The Governor named Gainey, who also chairs the Santa Fe College District Board of Trustees, to the 13-member FAMU Board. The move comes about a year and four months after DeSantis appointed Gainey as Alachua Sheriff.